UTSA extends baseball coach Pat Hallmark’s contract through the 2029 season

UTSA baseball will move forward with Head Coach Pat Hallmark recently receiving an extension on his contract through the 2029 season.

The extension, which runs through May 31, 2029, will pay Hallmark a base salary of:

*$350,000 for the 2025-26 year
*$375,000 in ’26-27
*$400,000 in ’27-28
*And, finally, $425,000 in ’28-29.

UTSA announced the agreement on June 17 after the program’s best season, in which Hallmark led the Roadrunners to the Super Regional round of the NCAA playoffs.

Hallmark, the 2025 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, led the Roadrunners to their first NCAA Regional Championship and first Super Regional appearance.

UTSA established a program-best 47 wins and a program-low 15 losses. Hallmark also directed the team to its third-ever conference regular-season championship with a 23-4 mark in The American.

The 2025 Roadrunners re-wrote the program records in:

*Runs scored (530)
*RBI (488)
*On-base percentage (.423)
*Fewest errors (47)
*Fielding percentage (.978)
*At-bats (2,098)
*And, hit by pitches (125).

Hallmark was named UTSA’s head coach on June 16, 2019. He has led the team to a record of 187-111, including four consecutive 30-plus win seasons. The streak ties a UTSA school record.

His career record is 253-159, which includes two season at the University of the Incarnate Word.

UTSA Roadrunners say they gave it their ‘best shot’ against the UCLA Bruins

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The greatest season in UTSA Roadrunners’ baseball history has come to a painful end.

After losing Saturday and needing to win twice in two days to stay alive in the NCAA tournament, the Roadrunners couldn’t get it done. They couldn’t deliver with the big hit against excellent pitching on Sunday.

As a result, the 15th-seeded UCLA Bruins downed UTSA 7-0 to sweep two games at the Los Angeles Super Regional, advancing to the Men’s College World Series next week in Omaha, Neb.

“Similar to yesterday, I mostly tip my hat to UCLA, for playing clean baseball,” UTSA coach Pat Hallmark said. “They’ve got a lot of talent. They deserved to win.”

Run-scoring singles by Toussaint Bythewood in the fourth inning and Roch Cholowski in the fifth gave the Bruins a 2-0 cushion. The Bruins added two more runs in the eighth on an infield throwing error and a sacrifice fly by Phoenix Call.

To make matters worse, Roadrunners pitcher Braylon Owens had to exit the game with an injury during the uprising after he was hit with a line drive. In the ninth, the Bruins blew the game open with three runs against Gunnar Brown, who likely would have been the Game 3 starter on Monday if UTSA could have mounted a comeback.

UCLA pitching held UTSA to just four hits on a frustrating afternoon for the offense. The Roadrunners, who had multiple opportunities to score, hit only 1 for 13 with runners on base and 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position.

“Like coach said, they were playing some clean ball,” UTSA freshman Jordan Ballin said. “They weren’t throwing many balls. They weren’t walking us like they do. Other than that, we gave it our best shot.”

Regardless of setbacks to the Bruins on Saturday (by a score of 5-2) and again on Sunday, the Roadrunners left Jackie Robinson Stadium feeling some satisfaction in becoming the only team in school history to reach the super regional round.

“Obviously unhappy with the result,” said Conor Myles, who started and took the loss in the finale. “But, just happy for the guys, how far we made it. We set records. We broke almost every record that school has. It’s a special group of guys. It really is.”

Finishing with a 47-15 record, they won the American Athletic Conference regular-season title, notched their highest win total in 34 seasons and beat the in-state heavyweight Texas Longhorns three times, including two in the Austin Regional last weekend.

The Longhorns were the second-seeded team in the NCAA tournament, so the Roadrunners arrived in Los Angeles late last week brimming with confidence. They will leave knowing that the Bruins’ pitching and defense, in the end, were just too good to overcome.

“I did not anticipate making a super regional,” Hallmark said “I would be some kind of arrogant sociopath if I did. Which, I hope I’m not. But I did think we had a good team … I thought we had a good chance to win the league. I knew East Carolina lost some people, which was going to help us.

“I knew we had a good team once we got our hands on ’em and saw the athletic ability of (Norris) McClure. I knew (shortstop) Ty Hodge was physical and athletic, because he’s (from) closer to home. I knew we had a good team. But a super regional was above and beyond what I expected, there’s no doubt about that.”

Hallmark said he will always be grateful to have coached this team.

“Again,” the coach continued, “all the credit to the players. It’s all a coach wants. It’s improvement. Buy in. And it just kept coming. Not our best baseball this weekend, but it wasn’t ugly baseball. I really tip my hat to UCLA. When I first watched ’em, I thought … they might have a slight problem in their bullpen.”

Hallmark explained that his initial assessment was only based on how many players Coach John Savage pitched out of the pen.

“Usually the really strong bullpens are two guys who come in and really shove the ball down your throat,” the UTSA coach said. “Credit coach Savage. It’s not a chink. It’s not a hole (in the roster). He just has a lot of parts in that bullpen. And he’s such a great pitching coach. I didn’t realize it until I played ’em, but the bullpen is one of their strengths.”

Starter Landon Stump opened the game on the mound for the Big Ten Conference co-champions and worked four innings. Chris Grothues, Cal Randall, August Souza and Easton Hawk pitched in relief. Grothues (4-1) earned the victory by working two and two thirds innings, holding the Roadrunners hitless and scoreless.

All told, UCLA pitching struck out nine and walked two. Meanwhile, Myles (5-2) took the loss. The Australia native had good stuff but gave up the first two runs of the game and seven hits across four and two thirds innings.

Owens, meanwhile, was charged with two runs on three hits in two and a third. One of the standouts in last week’s Austin Regional exited the game with no outs in the eighth after he was hit by a line drive off the bat of Brennan.

The play started with a baserunner at second. Brennan smashed a pitch right back to the box, and it caromed off Owens and into foul territory.

First baseman Lorenzo Morresi fielded it and flipped it past Owens for a throwing error, allowing the run to score. AJ Salgado, who opened the inning with a double, came around to score.

At that point, it was determined that Owens wouldn’t be able to continue, so he got an emotional hug from Hallmark and then a rousing ovation from UTSA fans in attendance.

Later, Phoenix Call added to UTSA’s misery with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring the second run of the inning and widening the UCLA lead to 4-0. The Bruins added three runs in the ninth to clinch it.

Records

UTSA 47-15
UCLA 47-16

Schedule

UCLA advances to the College World Series, June 13-23, at Omaha, Neb.

Notable

UTSA finished with program records in wins (47) and fewest losses (15). They also had records in runs (528), RBI (487) and hit by pitches (125), according to the school’s information department.

Mason Lytle appeared in his 62nd game, a UTSA single-season record. Myles started his 17th game, tying him for second on the all-time single-season list

Owens reached 100 strikeouts on the season, becoming the second Roadrunner to reach the century mark. He finished second on the single-season leader board behind Karan Patel who fanned 104 in 2019.

UCLA pitching clamped down on UTSA’s three hottest hitters in the last game of the season. The Bruins held McClure, Lytle and James Taussig to a combined 2 for 12 at the plate. McClure and Lytle were one for four and Taussig zero for four.

Taussig, the most outstanding player in the Austin Regional, was held hitless in two games in Los Angeles.

UCLA beats UTSA 5-2 in Game 1 of the Los Angeles Super Regional

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Roman Martin delivered a two-run triple in the bottom of the eighth inning Saturday night as the the 15th-seeded UCLA Bruins scored a 5-2 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners in Game 1 of the Los Angeles Super Regional.

Playing in the first Super Regional in program history, UTSA jumped out to a 2-0 lead on the co-champions of the Big Ten Conference. Mason Lytle opened the game at UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Stadium with a leadoff home run.

In the second inning, the Roadrunners surprised everyone when Caden Miller stole home for the second run of the game.

From there, the Bruins settled down and scored two runs to tie in the third. The big hit was a run-scoring double by Mulivai Levu. In the fourth, UCLA struck again against UTSA starter Zach Royse by loading the bases on three singles. One of them was a slow roller that died on the infield grass near the third-base line.

With bases loaded and one out, Dean West gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead on a sacrifice fly to left.

UCLA pitching turned out to be the story in the middle innings and beyond as UTSA’s prolific offense could generate little momentum. In the end, the Bruins held the Roadrunners scoreless from the third through the ninth. UCLA’s bullpen held UTSA hitless for four of the last five innings.

Starter Michael Barnett (12-1) earned the victory by working six innings, giving up two runs on six hits. Relievers Jack O’Connor, August Souza and Easton Hawk combined to hold the Roadrunners hitless in one inning apiece to close the game. All night, Bruins pitching filled up the strike zone, not walking one batter.

The Roadrunners, who have relied on free passes to manufacture big innings this season, received only one against UCLA — when Barnett plunked Andrew Stucky with a pitch in the second.

It was a heartbreaking day for Royse (9-5). After earning the victory against Kansas State last Friday in the first game of the Austin Regional, he took the loss against the Bruins. He pitched five innings and allowed all three runs on nine hits. Royse struck out three and walked three.

After Connor Kelley entered for Royse in the sixth inning, he struggled and put two runners on base. One with a walk. Another with a hit by pitch. At that point, Rob Orloski entered and retired three straight batters. First, he forced UCLA star Roch Cholowski to pop up, and then he retired Levu and Martin to escape trouble.

Orloski, a sophomore from Idaho, continued to pitch well through the seventh, sending three straight batters back to the dugout. But in the eighth, the UTSA righthander’s control started to falter.

On consecutive batters, he walked Phoenix Call and hit West with a breaking ball, putting runners at first and second. Getting tough again, he retired Cholowski and Levu on a fly ball and an infield pop up, respectively. With two out, he was nearly out of trouble when Martin worked the count to three balls and two strikes.

Ultimately, Martin won the battle, bashing a drive into the gap in right center. UTSA right fielder James Taussig looked like he might have a play on the ball, but it sailed past him, bouncing to the wall as Call scored from third base and West raced all the way around to score from first.

With the victory, UCLA now can clinch a trip to the Men’s College World Series with a victory Sunday. For UTSA to win the Super Regional, it will need to win Sunday and Monday to advance to the eight-team MCWS in Omaha, Neb.

Records

UTSA 47-14
UCLA 46-16

Schedule

Los Angeles Super Regional
Game 2 — UTSA at UCLA, Sunday, 2 p.m.
Game 3 (if necessary) — UTSA at UCLA, Monday, TBA

Notable

UTSA’s James Taussig, the most outstanding player in the Austin regional, went hitless on four at bats. He flied out, grounded out twice and struck out in the eighth inning.

The eighth was a big inning for Bruins pitching as Souza, throwing nasty sliders, shut down the top of the Roadrunners’ batting order. He struck out Lytle and Taussig to start the inning and then retired Norris McClure on a ground ball.

Lytle, who finished one for four, entered the Super Regional leading the team with a .369 average. Taussig followed at .358. Taussig has been one of the team’s hottest power threat lately, hitting safely in 25 of 27 games entering the Super Regional.

He also was held without an RBI for only the ninth time in is last 36 games.

Quotable

In the postgame news conference, UTSA coach Pat Hallmark issued an opening statement, saying that the difference in the game was UCLA’s error-free defense and its pitching that didn’t allow a walk.

“I thought UCLA pitched and defended fantastic,” he said. “That was the difference in the game, was their defense. They didn’t give us anything. Zero errors. Zero walks by them. Just tip my hat to those guys, and we’ll be ready to play tomorrow.”

Hallmark credited UCLA starter Michael Barnett for throwing strikes.

“Barnett’s good,” Hallmark said. “The challenge was all the strikes he was throwing. We needed to get him early in the count and we just didn’t. We just fouled ’em off, or we didn’t just quite smash it early in the count.

“He did a really good job throwing strikes early in the count, and then once he gets ahead, if you don’t smash one of those early ones, he’s not going to throw you one centered when he’s ahead. So, hitting becomes harder.”

Surprising 47-win UTSA set to play UCLA in the NCAA Los Angeles Super Regional

UTSA's James Taussig celebrates with the fans after UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Outfielder James Taussig leads UTSA into its first super regional tournament tonight in Los Angeles. The 6-foot-6 rightfielder earned Most Outstanding Player honors last weekend in the Austin Regional. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

With confidence stoked by two straight victories last weekend against the seeded-second team in the NCAA tournament, the UTSA Roadrunners will open the Los Angeles Super Regional on Saturday night against the No. 15 UCLA Bruins.

The winner of the best-of-three format will advance to the Men’s College World Series next week. For the 47-win Roadrunners, it is their first trip to the super regional round in 34 years as a program.

They are a surprising team on a roll, having run away with the regular-season title in the American Athletic Conference at 23-4 after being picked to finish fourth.

Entering the first weekend of the tournament, they had never won an NCAA game in three previous trips (0-6) before winning three straight in the Austin Regional against power conference competition.

In Austin, they were seeded second in the four-team field and stormed to the crown behind most outstanding player James Taussig, clutch pitching and team defense.

After beating Kansas State 10-2 in the opener, they moved forward and eliminated host Texas by scores of 9-7 and 7-4.

Texas, ranked No. 1 in the nation for much of the season, took the tournament’s No. 2 overall seed into the regional after winning the regular-season title in the Southeastern Conference.

Now, the Roadrunners will try to take down the co-champions in the Big Ten.

Powered by Dick Howser Trophy finalist Roch Cholowski, UCLA shared first place in the newly-formed Big Ten with Oregon, and then swept through three games in the Los Angeles Regional, beating Fresno State, UC Irvine and Arizona State.

The Bruins rolled to regional title by outscoring opponents, 38-14.

Records

UTSA 47-13
UCLA 45-16

Schedule

NCAA Los Angeles Super Regional

(Best of three, at Jackie Robinson Stadium)
UTSA at UCLA, Saturday, 6 p.m.
UTSA at UCLA, Sunday, 2 p.m.
UTSA at UCLA, Monday, TBA (if necessary)

Drew Detlefsen update

Speaking with the media Friday, UTSA coach Pat Hallmark said he didn’t know whether Drew Detlefsen, the team’s home run and RBI leader, would play.

Detlefsen tweaked a hamstring while chasing down a ball in foul territory last Saturday against Texas and had to come out of the game. He did not play Sunday. The UTSA leftfielder has been getting treatment and hitting but has not been running full speed.

The coach said Detlefsen has been hitting well in practice, which is a good sign. At the same time, Hallmark said he has “capable people” to use in his place if he can’t play.

Pitching questions

Senior Zach Royse started and won the opener of the Austin Regional against Kansas State, pitching five and a third innings and allowing only one run on three hits. But Hallmark said he wasn’t ready to name bis starter for the opener in the super regional.

He said he doesn’t know who will start for UCLA, either, though he said the Bruins have started Ian May on the first night of weekend series in the second half of the season. Hallmark said the rotation down the stretch of the season for UCLA was May, Zach Barnett and then Landon Stump.

Hallmark also said Wylan Moss is a possibility.

“He’s been hurt,” the coach said. “He’s back. Really good arm. Freshman … the arm’s really good, really talented. It’s the classic UCLA type big, big pro prospect. So, I wouldn’t be shocked if any one of those four start.”

The coach said UCLA used May out of the bullpen in the regional to give them a left-handed stopper late in the games.

A star at shortstop

Hallmark said UCLA sophomore shortstop Roch Cholowski “might be the best player in the country” and is a “phenomenal” talent,” one that could be taken with the first overall pick in the 2026 draft.

“The kid is a really good baseball player,” Hallmark said. “You’re not going to hold him down for three games.”

Cholowski usually bats second for the Bruins. Batting after him in the three hole is a productive left-side bat in Mulivai Levu.

“Big, physical left-handed hitter,” Hallmark said. “He’s got 85 RBI on the season. Part of it is because Roch’s on base all the time. But, that’s where they start, offensively … those two guys. They’re dangerous.”

Hallmark said UCLA is like UTSA in that they draw walks, they get hit by pitches and they don’t strike out.

As a result, Hallmark told his pitchers, “Be ready to feel like you’re pitching against your teammates. They’re not going to go away easily. They’re going to foul off some tough pitches. They’re going to hang around up there.”

Last team from Texas

UTSA is the last team from the state of Texas remaining in the NCAA baseball tournament. The Roadrunners eliminated the Texas Longhorns in the finals of the Austin Regional. Also in Austin, the Houston Christian Huskies went down with two straight losses. Dallas Baptist was eliminated in the semifinals of the Baton Rouge Regional. TCU lost two straight in the Corvallis Regional.

Once again, UTSA’s Hallmark stresses need for an enhanced baseball stadium

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The ball is rolling downhill for the UTSA baseball program in terms of capturing the attention of its local fan base.

After San Antonio media blanketed the Roadrunners with coverage in last week’s trip to the NCAA Austin Regional, the players responded with a dynamic performance, sweeping to three straight victories, including two over the Texas Longhorns.

Pat Hallmark. UTSA beat Rice 15-7 on Thursday night in American Athletic Conference baseball at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Sixth-year UTSA coach Pat Hallmark says he’d like to see a plan for an enhanced home stadium so that the program doesn’t fall behind in recruiting. – File photo by Joe Alexander

As a result, a crowd of people turned out on short notice for a welcome-home celebration on Monday.

Another crowd showed up Thursday when the team left Roadrunner Field for a trip to the Los Angeles Super Regional.

So, where is all this going?

Well, in the immediate future, the program is headed west for a best-of-three series against the UCLA Bruins, starting Saturday at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

Coming out on top won’t be easy.

The Bruins are ranked as the 15th-best team in the tournament, and they have a player in Roch Cholowski who is among four finalists for the Dick Howser Award, college baseball’s version of the Heisman Trophy.

All that aside, UTSA is playing well, too. Correction. They are playing lights out. The Roadrunners beat the No. 2 overall seed in the Longhorns twice last week in Austin. So, they are hot, and they know how to get it done.

Given all that, what else is at stake this weekend for the most ascendant athletic program at UTSA, besides a trip to the Men’s College World Series?

Well, one enticing possibility is that the university decides to move forward with a plan to upgrade Roadrunner Field. Coach Pat Hallmark has been pushing that idea aggressively.

Another possibility is that UTSA continues on its current plan to enhance player training as its next project, without a concrete course of action on an enhanced competition site.

If that is the case, it seems that another baseball program on another campus could approach Hallmark with a better deal, and he might take it.

Why do I say this? Well, for one thing, Hallmark is a hot commodity. One of the hottest in this part of the country. His team is one of 16 remaining in the NCAA tournament.

In addition, he seems to be getting more antsy and more blunt when he discusses the need for a stadium upgrade. Specifically, one with more comforts for the fans.

He talked about it in mid-May with reporters after one of his last regular-season home games. The subject came up again in an interview Monday with radio talk show host Jason Minnix on San Antonio Sports Star, FM 94.1. Most recently, the subject was broached on Friday on the eve of his team’s first game at UCLA.

Asked on a media zoom conference if he could sense how the team has started to attract more and more attention from local fans in the wake of its success in Austin, Hallmark said he probably hasn’t grasped the situation in its entirety just yet.

“It’s a bigger deal than I anticipated, not that I knew we were going to be here,” the coach said. “But I knew we had a good team. I knew we had a shot when we officially got in the regional.”

Hallmark said “a lot of people are reaching out” in terms of fans who came out to Roadrunner Field on Monday and again on Thursday.

“People are pulling me aside, talking about a new stadium,” he said. “I have not heard that from UTSA. I’m not saying that. But I’ve never heard that from anyone, ever, in the city. From (anybody).“

The coach said he thinks people realize now that the program needs a better playing facility.

“What we’re doing this year (on the field) does not have to be an anomaly,” he said. “I’m not ready to say we can do it every single year. But we can do this more than not. This can become the goal every year, instead of some huge deal.

“Like, ‘Oh, my God. Look what we did.’ It doesn’t have to be that,” he said. “So, I’m ready to talk about this stadium as much as anybody wants to talk about it, because I want to stay in San Antonio.”

Asked for specifics on what he wanted on that front, Hallmark said he hopes UTSA officials can come up with a plan “for something” soon.

“I know it’s a huge, huge undertaking,” he said. “But that’s what we need, first and foremost, even above a bigger NIL budget and scholarships.

“You know, (with) baseball scholarships, this is the last year that they’re capped at 11.7 (per team). You’re allowed to have 34 scholarships next year. The NIL collective is a thing.”

But even before addressing those issues, he said his first priority “is and always has been” some kind of facility enhancement.

“It doesn’t have to be the Taj Mahal,” he said. “We need something so we don’t lose recruits and players, just something that says we care about baseball, and we are invested.

“When you, the baseball player at UTSA, overachieves (and) does what you are currently doing, we want to give back to you. That message needs to be sent by the people running UTSA.”

Otherwise, he said, the Roadrunners will lose players to their competition “and we don’t do this anymore.” Meaning, they’ll fall behind in terms of their ability to vie for championships in the years to come.

“If that’s what they want,” the coach said, “that’s what they’re going to get.”

After midnight, in a hilltop town in Italy, Lorenzo Morresi’s parents cheered for the Roadrunners

UTSA's Lorenzo Morresi playing against Texas in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional on Saturday, May 31, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Lorenzo Morresi thrilled members of his family back home in Macerata, Italy, as he reached base six times and scored five runs in three games for the UTSA Roadrunners at the NCAA Austin Regional. By winning in Austin, UTSA has advanced to the Super Regional round against UCLA. The best-of-three series starts Saturday in Los Angeles. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Lorenzo Morresi grew up in Italy, in the town of Macerata, located about 100 miles to the north and east of Rome and about 30 miles to the west of the Adriatic Sea.

Soccer is king in Italy. Always has been, and, probably always will be.

But somewhere in the city of Macerata, in an apartment inhabited by a couple of hard-working grocery shop owners, at least one television set was dialed in last weekend to the NCAA Austin Regional baseball tournament.

As Morresi played perhaps the tournament of his young life for the UTSA Roadrunners, his father and mother stayed up late to watch and cheer him on. How late?

“They were, like, sleeping and watching,” Morresi told The JB Replay Wednesday afternoon. “They were back home in Italy. They were trying to stay up to watch the game. Because, at 6 p.m. (in Texas), it’s like 1 a.m. over there.”

UTSA's Lorenzo Morresi playing against Kansas State in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional on Friday, May 30, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Lorenzo Morresi has worked his way back into the playing rotation after battling injuries during the season. – Photo by Joe Alexander

If one or both of his parents dozed off during the games, it would be understandable.

Morresi said in an interview under the oak trees at Roadrunner Field that his mom and dad run a business in Macerata.

In a town of about 40,000 that sits on a hilltop between two rivers in central Italy — the Chienti and the Potenza — Morresi’s parents manage a fruit and vegetable shop.

So, given the effort required in their day job, combined with the thrill of watching NCAA tournament games after midnight, some level of exhaustion would be expected from Valter and Nadia Morresi.

Morresi assured that his dad, a former baseball player, was definitely tuned in.

Valter Morresi, as his son pointed out, played the game from a young age, as a second baseman, primarily.

His son, one of the unsung heroes of UTSA’s historic victory in the Austin Regional, said his dad continued to play past his youth on club teams — until he was 29 years old.

“He loves baseball,” Lorenzo Morresi said. “He wanted to be here (in Texas) so bad, to watch us play.”

Valter Morresi likely was thrilled with what he saw on ESPN, regardless, because his son put on quite a show.

He had five hits in 12 at bats in the regional tournament, including three hits in two games against the Texas Longhorns, the No. 2 team in the NCAA tournament.

As his parents know, it was a show of perseverance. Also, as everyone in the UTSA dugout knows, it was an equally gritty display of resilience and skill.

Working toward a baseball dream

Lorenzo Morresi didn’t get the same start in baseball that most of his teammates did. There was no travel ball, no high school ball, in Italy. There was only club ball to hone his skills.

UTSA's Lorenzo Morresi playing against Texas in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional on Saturday, May 31, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Lorenzo Morresi, a switch hitter at the plate, has seen action recently at catcher, designated hitter and first base with the Roadrunners. His father, Valter, played baseball through age 29 in Italy. He played second base. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Despite all that, he showed enough promise as a teenager to start getting feelers from college coaches in the United States.

But just as he started to flourish as a player, the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Lorenzo was in Macerata, shuttered at home with his family for about five months in 2020.

People were allowed to go out for essentials only once a day, Morresi said.

Because of the pandemic and the after-shocks felt throughout Italy, the young ball player didn’t get to start his college career in America until the 2021-22 school year at New Mexico Junior College.

Regardless, Morresi found his groove in Hobbs, N.M.. Playing for Coach Mike Robbins, he .341 as a freshman and .365 as a sophomore.

In between those seasons, he received another opportunity to improve in the form or an invitation to play internationally — for his country.

In July of 2022, he traveled to the Netherlands to play for Team Italy in the 30th edition of the Haarlem Baseball Week.

The two-week experience was a memorable one in that he played for manager Mike Piazza, whose bust can be found in Cooperstown at The Baseball Hall of Fame.

Piazza, who spent about a month in 1992 in San Antonio with the Los Angeles Dodgers-affiliated Missions, went on to star for 16 years in the majors, most prominently for the Dodgers and for the New York Mets. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016.

At UTSA, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Morresi is one of a growing number of Italian-born ball players taking an interest in the game. With the Roadrunners, he has played for the past two seasons, mostly at catcher.

This season has been a struggle for him in that he has been limited to 26 of UTSA’s 60 games while battling through injuries.

A sore back, in particular, had been an issue in the middle of the season. Regardless, Morresi stayed with it and did his best to remain positive.

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark. UTSA beat Texas 7-4 on Sunday, June 1, 2025, to win the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark has made use of a wealth of depth on his roster. Hallmark’s team is 47-13 going into the Super Regional round of the NCAA tournament. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“It’s been a tough season,” he acknowledged. “I tried to stay focused, like, (stay) up mentally and don’t lose the focus. And then, like, ‘Let’s go. Let’s go win.’ ”

After working his way back to health, Morresi gradually gained a foothold in the playing rotation recently. Though he’s made only sporadic appearances through the season, he has started in the last six games, playing a mix at catcher, designated hitter and first base.

For the season, he’s hitting a modest .287, but ever since UTSA’s second game in the American Athletic Conference tournament, one of Italy’s finest has been on the field each day for the Roadrunners, spraying the ball around and hitting .333.

Moreover, as UTSA won an NCAA regional for the first time in program history last weekend, he started at first base in all three games and, at the plate, he got himself on base six times, scoring five runs in the process.

Putting on a show

His batting average in Austin?

It was .412, on five for 12. Memorably, he went two for three with an RBI in a 10-2 victory over Kansas State. He also stole two bases to set a UTSA single-game record in NCAA postseason games.

Next, he was one for four with a run scored in a 9-7 victory over the Texas Longhorns, the second-seeded team in the NCAA tournament. Finally, he had two hits and a run scored in five at bats in a 7-4 clincher against the Longhorns.

In UTSA’s biggest test in 34 years of baseball, Morresi hit the ball hard just about every time he came to the plate How did he do it? Considering the amount of time he sat on the bench earlier in the season, how was it possible?

“It’s just part of the job,” the 23-year-old switch hitter said. “Like, I’m going to do my job. Put the ball in play. Play hard. Try to win the game. It’s part of the job. It’s nothing, like, crazy.”

Morresi said he was locked in mentally with what he had to do each day in Austin, though he did acknowledge feeling an adrenaline rush once, when he noticed all the Roadrunners and Longhorns fans in attendance at jam-packed Disch-Falk Field.

“The first inning, in the first game against the Longhorns, I was just like looking around,” he said. “And I saw so many people. And I said, ‘That’s beautiful.’ Like, I should not feel pressure. I should just enjoy it and then do my job.

“It’s like, I’m here for that.”

UTSA pitcher Gunnar Brown. UTSA beat Texas 7-4 on Sunday, June 1, 2025, to win the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Like Lorenzo Morresi, pitcher Gunnar Brown is another player with a limited role a few months ago to emerge as a key player in the postseason. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Morresi’s story this season is not unlike those of some of his teammates. Designated hitter Garrett Gruell didn’t play consistently during the season. Neither did Gunnar Brown. But Morresi, Gruell and Brown all figured prominently last weekend.

The depth of talent on the roster, in fact, is something that defines the Roadrunners as much as their ability to score runs and play defense.

Perhaps it’s because of the bond between players and coaches. There seems to be a certain trust factor with the coaches, even from players who aren’t on the field every day.

“There are so many people in the locker room on this ride who aren’t getting base hits or throwing pitches, but the quality of them as people is so genuine and real,” Head Coach Pat Hallmark told Sean Cartell at goutsa.com. “These kids are pretty good at baseball, and here they are sitting on the bench for us and so supportive of everything we’re doing.

“When they’re 40 years old, I’ll think of them as much as the guys doing the actual game-playing. That’s why I coach.”

Morresi said players just tend to pull together and stay engaged even if they aren’t playing regularly.

“There’s always … part of me that will say, like, I have to work hard and be ready to play, no matter what the situation,” he said. “It could happen sometimes that I don’t play. Or that somebody else don’t play. But, it is what it is. You got to be ready for everything, I would say.”

During his junior college days in New Mexico, Morresi acknowledged that he had choices when it came to deciding where to play at the next level of college baseball.

“But as soon as I got here and talked to coach Hallmark and coach (Ryan) Aguayo … I knew I wanted to be here,” he said. “I felt like I could get better here.”

As for the upcoming Super Regional against UCLA in Los Angeles this weekend, it stands as a curious twist on baseball history that Morresi will be taking his game from San Antonio to the West Coast, so to speak.

It’s the same path that Piazza, his former mentor in international ball, took when he was promoted from the Missions to play for Tommy Lasorda and the Dodgers in 1992. Morresi said he didn’t realize that Piazza played in the minors in San Antonio.

“But that is pretty cool,” he said, “that there’s a link between us.”

This week, the Roadrunners have tried to prepare as they always do, getting ready for a best-of-three series against the No. 15 national seed Bruins.

On Wednesday, they went through a three-hour practice on a hot and muggy day. They left town for the West Coast on Thursday. Morresi said the message this week from the coach to the players has been the same as usual.

“It’s like, practice hard, play hard,” he said. “Try to win every game. Every pitch. Every situation.”

The Super Regional opens on Saturday at 6 p.m. central time at Jackie Robinson Stadium on the UCLA campus. Game Two is set for 2 p.m. Sunday. A third game, if necessary, would be played Monday. The winner will earn a trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

For Morresi, some pressing questions loom. Will his parents, Valter and Nadia, need to watch on TV again, or can they make the trip? It’s possible they might make it to Los Angeles, he said Wednesday afternoon.

Also, can UTSA continue its wild ride and win two in Los Angeles … to reach Omaha?

“Our expectations are to compete and win,” Morresi said. “We cannot control winning, but, like, we are going there to win and play hard. We’re not going there just for a vacation. We’re going there because we want to go to Omaha. It’s our goal.”

UTSA beat Texas 7-4 on Sunday, June 1, 2025, to win the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

A multi-Roadrunner celebration breaks out on the field after UTSA clinches the NCAA Austin Regional. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Shocking the world? UTSA beats Texas to claim the NCAA Austin Regional baseball title

UTSA's Rob Orloski celebrates after getting the final out. UTSA beat Texas 7-4 on Sunday, June 1, 2025, to win the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Rob Orloski celebrates after getting the final out Sunday night. By beating Texas for the second straight night to claim the NCAA Austin Regional title, Roadrunners will advance to the Super Regional round of the playoffs for the first time. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

AUSTIN — The UTSA Roadrunners have played in only four NCAA regional baseball tournaments, compared to 62 for the Texas Longhorns.

The Roadrunners have competed in baseball for 34 seasons, and the Longhorns, by comparison, have appeared in the College World Series a record 38 times. UTSA plays in a facility in San Antonio that doesn’t measure up to many anywhere, at any level, while Texas plays at Disch-Falk Field, one of the most iconic venues in the NCAA.

In that regard, after the Roadrunners swept three games to win the Austin Regional, including two straight over the Longhorns, it wasn’t surprising that Pat Hallmark was asked if he thought he had just shocked the world.

UTSA's Norris McClure hit a two-run homer in the first inning.

UTSA’s Norris McClure ripped a two-run homer in the bottom of the first to boost UTSA into a 2-0 lead. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“I don’t know,” UTSA’s sixth-year head coach said. “Maybe the college baseball world, a little bit. I don’t want to go too much into that, but we’ll shock the world when we win the whole thing. That would shock the world. But, like (UTSA outfielder James Taussig) said (Saturday) night, he said, ‘Three more (wins) to Omaha.’ And I was like, ‘Wow, he’s right.’ And he said tonight, ‘Two more.’

“So, I don’t know if we (have) shocked the world or not. We surprised a few people. But people that have seen us all year, these guys (in the San Antonio media) that have seen us all year, I don’t know that they are totally shocked. Again, we beat the Longhorns. I did not know we were going to do this. I knew we had a chance.

“But, (Texas’) Jim Schlossnagle is an amazing coach, and this is the University of Texas, so … ”

So, yes, the Roadrunners surprised many in Hallmark’s profession by what happened here in the last 72 hours. In succession, they downed Kansas State, Texas and Texas again. Three straight victories over teams in Power 4 conferences, and they capped off the run with a 7-4 victory Sunday night in the regional finals.

As a result, the Roadrunners advance to meet the NCAA tournament’s 15th-seeded UCLA Bruins in the Super Regional round.

UTSA will play this weekend in Los Angeles at UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Stadium. The series is best of three, with the winner earning a trip to Omaha, Neb., for the Men’s College World Series. Schlossnagle, whose team was the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA tournament at large, told reporters that UTSA is capable of winning in the super regionals and then making a run at the eight-team MCWS.

“Congratulations to UTSA,” Schlossnagle said. “As I told coach Hallmark at home plate, that’s not a fly-by-night team. That’s a real team. That’s an Omaha-caliber club in every way.

“They play a lot of different brands of baseball. They can pitch. Like I said the other night, they have a persona about ’em. A winning persona. We gave ’em too many free bases there in one inning. (Ty) Hodge got the big two-out hit. We just didn’t bunch our hits. We didn’t have some balls fall in. (Mason) Lytle made an awesome play in center field.

Ty Hodge had a three-run double in the third inning. UTSA beat Texas 7-4 on Sunday, June 1, 2025, to win the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Ty Hodge smashed a three-run double in the five-run third inning, which boosted the Roadrunners into a 7-0 lead. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“I was proud of the way our guys competed. We’re pretty banged up, which every team is. Really proud of our team. As I just told ’em, no disrespect to teams in the past, but this is the first (Texas) team that’s ever had to play through the SEC (the Southeastern Conference). To be an SEC champion and to host a regional…We all understand Omaha is where we want to (finish). We were 44-14 in our league. It doesn’t make it a bad season.”

UTSA, on the other hand, will carry a somewhat mind-boggling 47-14 record into Los Angeles.

Norris McClure hit a two-run home run and Hodge had a three-run double early to back the pitching of starter Gunnar Brown as the second-seeded UTSA Roadrunners beat the No. 1 regional seed Longhorns for the third time this season.

With the latest win, the Roadrunners clinched a regional title and qualified for the super regionals for the first time in their history. Before this season, UTSA had never won more than 39 games in a season and had finished 0-2 in three previous trips to the regional round.

The Roadrunners jumped on the Longhorns in the first inning to get off to a fast start. After Taussig drew a one-out walk, McClure smoked a line drive off Hudson Hamilton that sailed over the right field wall for a two-run homer. Hamilton was making his first start of the season. When McClure’s homer landed somewhere on Comal Street outside of “The Disch,” UTSA had a 2-0 lead.

For the Longhorns, the bottom of the third was pure agony.

The Roadrunners bunched two singles and two batters hit by pitch for a 3-0 lead. Officials reviewed when UTSA’s Jordan Ballin was plunked, apparently to see if he leaned into it, but he original call was upheld and Ballin had himself an RBI. At that juncture, Texas made a pitching change, bringing in Max Grubbs.

Grubbs, one of the Longhorns’ top arms out of the bullpen, found immediate trouble when Hodge drilled a ball to center field. It carried past the centerfielder, all the way to the wall, and the Roadrunners scored three runs on the play. After Andrew Stucky was hit by a pitch, Mason Lytle stroked an RBI single through the left side.

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark. UTSA beat Texas 7-4 on Sunday, June 1, 2025, to win the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Pat Hallmark will lead the 47-13 UTSA Roadrunners to the West Coast this weekend for a date in the NCAA Super Regional against the UCLA Bruins. – Photo by Joe Alexabder

UTSA had its fifth run of the inning and a 7-0 lead.

Pitching and defense also emerged as highlights in perhaps one of UTSA’s biggest moments in the history of its athletic department.

After the Roadrunners had used weekend starters Zach Royse, Braylon Owens and Conor Myles on Friday and Saturday, coaches called on Brown, who was making only his fourth start of the season. He entered the national spotlight with a 7.85 ERA. Brown, from Episcopal High School in Houston, earned the victory and improved his record to 4-2 with five innings of work. He allowed only one run on six hits, walking two and striking out four.

Connor Kelley pitched one inning and Robert Orloski, a one-time draft pick by the Boston Red Sox out of Middleton, Idaho, closed out Texas in the final three innings. Orloski gave up a run in the eighth on a solo homer by Kimble Schuessler. He also yielded two in the ninth on a two-run blast by Max Belyeu.

Roadrunners’ fans might also remember for a long time two outfield defensive gems, one by Taussig, the Austin Regional Most Outstanding Player, and another by Lytle. In the top of the third, Schuessler smashed a ball that sailed into the right center gap. Taussig had to run hard just to get in position to catch it, but he did, reaching up and grabbing it back-handed while still on the move.

UTSA pitcher Gunnar Brown. UTSA beat Texas 7-4 on Sunday, June 1, 2025, to win the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA pitcher Gunnar Brown (4-2) earned the win by working five innings. He allowed one run on six hits. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Next, he pivoted and fired the ball back toward the infield. Ballin caught the cutoff, wheeled and fired from just outside the infield area to McClure. Rylan Galvan, who was attempting to advance from second to third, was out on the play. So, instead of Texas potentially scoring a run on an extra-base hit to make it 2-1, UTSA shut down a rally on a hair-raising double play and turned it into a scoreless inning.

In the top of the fourth, Lytle may have made the catch of the season for UTSA. After Texas freshman Adrian Rodriguez opened the inning with a double off the right field wall, Casey Borba followed with a double of his own to left, driving in Rodriguez to make it 7-1.

Next, San Antonio’s Jalin Flores stepped to the plate. Flores had been struggling in the tournament, but he smashed a ball into center field that looked like extra bases, for sure. Lytle, a speedster, had other ideas. He darted two his left on a flat-out sprint, kept churning and eventually laid out parallel to the ground to snare the ball for an out, skidding into the wall at the end of the play.

Jonah Williams followed for Texas, reaching base on a fielding error by Hodge, the only miscue of the day by UTSA. But Brown steadied himself and retired two straight to end the threat. First, he got Will Gasparino on a ground ball and Ethan Mendoza on a fly to right.

Notable

UTSA played the game without leftfielder Drew Detlefsen, the team’s home run and RBI leader. Detlefsen tweaked a hamstring during Saturday’s 9-7 victory over Texas.

Rightfielder James Taussig was named the regional’s most outstanding player in a vote by credentialed media. Taussig, Hodge and Lytle made the all-tournament team as position players, while Braylon Owens and Zach Royse made it as pitchers.

The Roadrunners started the season with a 1-3 record but have turned it around to go 46-10 record since Feb. 22. They are 24-5 since an April 1 loss on the road at TCU.

Austin Regional

UTSA went 3-0 to win it. Texas was the runner up at 2-2. Kansas State finished 1-2 and Houston Christian 0-2. The Roadrunners defeated Kansas State 10-2 on Friday night and Texas 9-7 on Saturday before downing Texas 7-4 in the finals. Texas scored an opening-day 7-1 victory over Houston Christian, lost to UTSA and then eliminated Kansas State, 15-8, on Sunday morning just to reach the finals.

For Texas, it was the first time since 2007 that the team failed to win an Austin Regional. That tournament was held in Round Rock. It was the first time it failed to win an Austin Regional at Disch-Falk Field since 2006.

UCLA notable

The Bruins (45-16) cruised through the Los Angeles Regional by beating Fresno State, Arizona State and UC Irvine by a combined 38-14.

It is UCLA’s first trip to the super regional round since 2019 and its seventh overall since the tournament expanded for the 1999 season. Last season, the Bruins won only 19 games.

John Savage is in his 21st season as UCLA’s head coach. Under Savage, the Bruins reached the MCWS in 2010, 2012 and also in 2013, when they won the national title.

UCLA gets to play UTSA on is home field, where it is 29-7 this season. Bruins shortstop Roch Chowlowsky was named the Big Ten’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Chowlosky has a .370 average, 23 home runs and 72 RBI. Mulivai Levu bats .321 with 12 homers and a team-leading 84 RBI.

Roman Martin had a productive Los Angeles Regional, going six for 15 with two home runs and eight RBI.

Michael Barnett, Landon Stump and Ian May lead the team in innings pitched. Barnett is 11-1 with a 4.18 ERA. Stump is 6-1, 4.80 and May 7-3, 5.00. Jack O’Connor is 3-0 and 1.88 out of the bullpen. UCLA and Oregon tied for first in the Big Ten at 22-8.

UTSA players charge the field after clinching the NCAA Austin Regional title. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA beat Texas 7-4 on Sunday, June 1, 2025, to win the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

A multi-Roadrunner celebration breaks out on the field after UTSA clinches the NCAA Austin Regional. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Texas rolls past Kansas State, moves into NCAA Austin Regional title round against UTSA

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The Texas Longhorns will get another shot at the UTSA Roadrunners in the NCAA Austin Regional.

Casey Borba hit a grand slam and a three-run homer in an eight-RBI performance Sunday as the top-seeded Longhorns (44-13) stayed alive in the double-elimination format with a 15-8 victory over the No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats.

Less than 24 hours after they were upended by the second-seeded Roadrunners, 9-7, the Longhorns produced 15 hits against five Kansas State pitchers to eliminate the Wildcats (32-26).

Borba stroked four hits, joining teammate Max Belyeu with first-inning homers. Belyeu started off the six-run first by slicing a two-run homer over the left field wall. Borba followed with a grand slam, an opposite field shot to right.

In the third inning, Borba, a sophomore from Santa Ana, Calif., launched a three-run homer to left.

Ruger Riojas, who played at UTSA the past two seasons, started on the mound for the Longhorns and set career highs in innings pitched (7 and 1/3) and pitches (119). He allowed seven runs on six hits, including three homers.

For the Wildcats, Seth Dardar homered in the first inning, while AJ Evasco heated up late with round-trippers in the seventh and the eighth.

Fourth-seeded Houston Christian (0-2) and Kansas State (1-2) are both out of the tournament. Texas, at 2-1 this weekend, will play 2-0 UTSA in the title round starting tonight.

UTSA (46-13) needs one victory to win the regional. Texas needs to win tonight and again in a winner-take-all game on Monday to advance to the Super Regional round.

Taking a look at UTSA baseball’s season in photos

Good afternoon, all. As we wait for UTSA baseball’s game at the NCAA Austin Regional, I wanted to share some of Joe Alexander’s file photos from the season. Enjoy.

Nathan Hodge. UTSA beat Rice 11-4 in American Athletic Conference baseball at Roadrunner Field on Friday, May 15, 2025. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Nathan Hodge, shown here in a game played at home against Rice University, emerged as one of the standouts Saturday night in a 9-7 victory over the Texas Longhorns. Figuring prominently in the Roadrunners’ rally from a five-run deficit, he had two hits and three RBI. Hodge is a freshman from College Station. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Ty Hodge. UTSA beat Rice 11-4 in American Athletic Conference baseball at Roadrunner Field on Friday, May 15, 2025. - photo by Joe Alexander

Ty Hodge, Nathan’s older, has been an infield fixture at shortstop for the Roadrunners. Ty Hodge is a redshirt junior from College Station. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Mason Lytle. UTSA beat South Florida 5-2 in American Athletic Conference baseball on Friday, May 10, 2024, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Mason Lytle, shown here making a play at home against South Florida last season, returned for his senior year and earned American Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors. Lytle is a senior from Houston. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Kendall Dove is 3-0 with a 5.58 earned run average after earning the win in Saturday night’s game against the Texas Longhorns. He’s shown here in a Feb. 26 home game against Oakland (Mich.). Dove is a sophomore from New Caney. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Andrew Stucky. UTSA rallied from an early 5-1 deficit to beat Florida Atlantic 10-7 in American Athletic Conference baseball at Roadrunner Field on Friday, March 28, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA catcher Andrew Stucky is hitting .331 with a 1.000 OPS. Stucky is a senior from Tucson, Ariz. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Norris McClure slides safely into home to tie the game 7-7 on Drew Detlefsen's three-run double in the fifth inning. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Norris McClure has sparked the Roadrunners with his .350 bating average and his all-out play. He’s shown here sliding head first into home against Rice on May 15. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Biggest win in program history? UTSA stuns top-seeded Texas 9-7 in the NCAA Austin Regional

Braylon Owens finished the game on the mound for UTSA. UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Senior Braylon Owens closed the game by pitching four innings, allowing only one run on one hit, to help the UTSA Roadrunners beat Texas and advance to the regional finals. UTSA is now just one win away from a berth in the NCAA Super Regional round. – Photo by Joe Alexander

AUSTIN — For at least the past four years, UTSA has had a piece of tape in its locker room in San Antonio imprinted with three letters, ‘JYD.’ The three letters stand for ‘Junk Yard Dogs.’

It’s a message to the players that they can achieve success even under the most extreme, adverse conditions.

The Roadrunners lived up to their burgeoning legend Saturday night, rallying from a five-run deficit to score arguably the biggest victory in program history, a 9-7 shocker over the Texas Longhorns in the NCAA Austin Regional.

Texas entered the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 national seed, behind only the Vanderbilt Commodores, in the 64-team field. Seeded No. 1 in the regional, the Longhorns rolled in their first game to a 7-1 victory over the No. 4 HCU Huskies.

UTSA's James Taussig celebrates with the fans after UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Outfielder James Taussig celebrates with the fans after second-seeded UTSA beat No. 1 Texas 9-7 on at the Austin Regional. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Most expected them to face a stiffer test in the winners’ bracket against the second-seeded Roadrunners. After all, UTSA won a mid-week game in March at Disch-Falk Field, claiming an 8-7 victory in 12 innings.

But after UTSA knocked off Kansas State 10-2 in its tournament opener, a question loomed about the rematch against Texas. It centered on whether the Roadrunners could win again, in Austin, in a playoff setting, against top-of-the-line pitching.

The answer, in the end, was yes.

A few of the lead dogs in the “JYD” pack, and also one pup, led the way.

Senior slugger James Taussig produced a four-for-four performance and had a couple of RBI, including one on drag bunt single in the ninth inning. Senior Mason Lytle tormented the Longhorns with three hits and some daring base running.

Freshman Nathan Hodge, despite his lack of collegiate experience, had two hits and three RBI.

At the end, senior pitcher Braylon Owens closed the game with four innings of relief. During that stretch, he held the Longhorns to one run on one hit, a long homer by Ryan Galvan in the seventh inning.

Nevertheless, Owens finished in style, shutting down a two-on-base scoring threat in the eighth inning and then working around a walk in the ninth with two strikeouts to end the game.

Owens, from Elgin, about 30 miles east of Austin, said he loves the atmosphere when he plays on the Texas campus. He said he draws energy from the Longhorns’ fans.

“When you have all these Texas fans, like, yelling at you, talking mess to you, I don’t know,” he said. “A lot of people get nervous about that. Me, it makes me excited. Like, I want to make ’em be quiet, prove ’em wrong. So, I’d say that helps a lot, the crowd.”

Taussig, Owens’ good friend and fishing buddy, aided the cause immensely in the ninth inning by his deft handling of the bat. With Lytle at third base, he bunted the ball through the air, just past relief pitcher Dylan Volantis.

Kendall Dove reacts after getting the third out in the bottom of the fifth inning. UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Reliever Kendall Dove (3-0) pitched an inning of scoreless relief in the fifth earned the victory. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Playing back, the second baseman had no chance on the ball, either, as it bounced on the infield grass. Consequently, Lytle scored easily from third base to widen UTSA’s lead to the eventual final score. Taussig beat it out for his fourth hit of the day.

The two-run cushion was important entering the Longhorns’ last at bat.

“I wouldn’t say it was easy,” Owens said, “but it definitely, like, made me feel more comfortable and not as anxious, that I have to do this, or I have to do that. It took a little bit of weight off my shoulders.”

When the game ended with Owens striking out Texas slugger Max Belyeu, his teammates rushed out of the dugout and swarmed around him, shouting and celebrating. Owens was stunned. He said he blanked out.

“I didn’t know what to do,” he said.

Immediately, the Roadrunners will need to prepare for Sunday’s championship round, which should be very interesting.

Texas (43-13) and Kansas State (32-25) will play in a losers’ bracket game at 2 p.m. The winner will meet UTSA (46-13) later Sunday. Texas or Kansas State will need to beat UTSA Sunday night and again on Monday to win the regional.

The Roadrunners only need to win once to advance to the NCAA Super Regional round for the first time in program history. The winner of the two-team super regionals, scheduled for next weekend, will earn trips to the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

After Saturday night, little doubt exists now that the Roadrunners could make a run to Omaha. Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle tipped his cap to UTSA and even mentioned that he had heard about the team’s ‘Junk Yard Dog’ credo.

“It feels good,” Owens said. “I mean, all four years, we have a piece of tape in our locker room that says, ‘JYD.’ Now that everybody is starting to know that’s how we see ourselves, it feels good.”

Austin Regional

Sunday’s games

Losers’ bracket – Texas vs. Kansas State, 2 p.m.
Championship round – UTSA vs. Texas or Kansas State, 6 p.m. (or, an hour after the first game)

UTSA's Nathan Hodge (11) scores in the top of the fifth to cut the Texas lead to 6-4. UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Nathan Hodge (11) scores in the top of the fifth to cut the Texas lead to 6-4. Hodge, a freshmen, had two hits and three RBI. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Monday’s game

Championship round, if necessary – UTSA vs. Texas or Kansas State, time TBD

Seeds, records

1 – Texas (43-13)
2 – UTSA (46-13)
3 – Kansas State (32-25)
4 – HCU (32-25)

A Longhorns’ surge

Locked in a tie game with UTSA, Texas sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs on four hits in the bottom of the third.

The Longhorns did the damage off both Conor Myles, the Roadrunners’ starting pitcher, and against Connor Kelley, one of their best bullpen arms. Jonah Williams’ two-out, two-run single off Kelley was the big blow for the Longhorns in the inning.

When the dust settled, the Longhorns had a 6-1 lead on the Roadrunners and significant momentum.

The inning started with Myles walking Rylan Galvan. Max Belyeu followed with a single to center. A key play unfolded when Kimble Schuessler ripped a ground ball up the middle that Hodge, playing second base, dove for and gloved. Laid out on the ground, however, he was unable to make a toss to second base for the force, so everyone was safe.

The bases were loaded.

With bullpen arms warming, Myles faced UT’s Adrian Rodriguez, who grounded a ball down the first base line for an out and an RBI. At that point, the Roadrunners made a change. Kelley entered the game and started off well, striking out Jalin Flores on an awkward swing. But after that, Texas got hot and started pounding the ball.

First, Williams, a five-star recruit as a football safety out of Galveston, drilled a hit with pace into right field to bring in two runs. Casey Borba followed by hammering a ball off the base of the left field wall for an RBI double. Adding to UTSA’s woes, Kelley fired a wild pitch, allowing the fifth run to score for a five-run Texas lead.

How the Roadrunners countered

Undeterred, UTSA rallied in the top of the fifth with four runs on three hits and an error. The uprising came against tiring Texas starter Luke Harrison. Hodge delivered a key hit for the Roadrunners in the inning with a two-run single. Taussig added a run-scoring double. After it was over, the Roadrunners had pulled to within 6-5, and fans were on their feet.

Garrett Gruell had a run-scoring hit in the sixth inning. UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Garrett Gruell talks strategy with Coach Pat Hallmark. Gruell belted a run-scoring double in the sixth inning. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Norris McClure led off the inning with a ground ball that was mishandled at second base. He narrowly beat out the throw to first on a play ruled as an error. From there, Harrison started to falter with his command. He walked Andrew Stucky and hit Caden Miller with a pitch to load the bases. Hodge, a freshman from College Station, rose to the challenge by stroking a ground ball up the middle.

It caromed off lunging shortstop Jalin Flores’ glove and two runs scored. Next, Lytle singled up the middle and one out later, Taussig blasted a double to center that scored one. UTSA had new life, trailing by one run.

Taking the lead

In the top of the sixth, the noise level among UTSA fans increased significantly as the Roadrunners constructed a three-run rally to take their first lead of the game, 8-6. It all started with two out when Harrison gave up a single to Andrew Stucky and Caden Miller walked. Texas changed pitchers in hopes of cutting off the threat, bringing in Thomas Burns.

UTSA immediately lit up the hard-throwing righty for three hits. Hodge whacked a fastball into center field for an RBI single, tying the game. Lytle followed with another run-scoring single, putting UTSA ahead by one run.

On a play that underscored the intensity of the game, Garrett Gruell doubled into the corner to score one run easily, making it 8-6. Just as the relay throw came in to the shortstop, Lytle kept running as he rounded third and sped for home. The throw was on target, and Lytle collided with Galvan, the catcher.

Lytle was called out on a play that went to review and was upheld. At the same time, UTSA had seized the momentum from the NCAA tournament’s second-seeded team.

Mason Lytle and his UTSA teammates celebrate on the field after the final out. UTSA beat Texas 9-7 on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Mason Lytle and his UTSA teammates celebrate on the field after the final out. The Roadrunners trailed 6-1 after four innings, rallied into the lead and then held on at the end to win on the home field of the Longhorns. – Photo by Joe Alexander